Men arrested at Philadelphia Starbucks will get free Arizona State University tuition

Two black men arrested while waiting at a Philadelphia Starbucks store reached a settlement with the coffee chain and dropped legal claims against the city. Havovi Cooper reports.
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Rashon Nelson (left) and Donte Robinson, both 23, listen to a reporter's question during an interview with The Associated Press in Philadelphia on April 18, 2018.(Photo: Jacqueline Larma/Associated Press)

The announcement comes as the two men also reached an agreement with the city of Philadelphia. Nelson and Robinson will each get a symbolic $1 from the city. The city also agreed to spend $200,000 to start a program for young entrepreneurs.

In a statement on its website, Starbucks said the agreement between the men and the company includes a confidential financial settlement.

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A viral video posted on Twitter shows the arrest of two men at a Philadelphia Starbucks on April 12, 2018. According to Philadelphia police, Starbucks employees called 911 to say the men were trespassing.
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The two men have been "offered the opportunity to complete their undergraduate degrees through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan," the statement says.

The agreement with Starbucks also will give the men the chance to talk about their experience with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder "as part of the company's long-term diversity and equity efforts," Starbucks said.

Starbucks' college program began at ASU in 2014. Starbucks employees who work at least 20 hours per week can take classes through ASU Online, and the coffee company will cover their tuition costs.

ASU President Michael Crow recently shared updated statistics about the program in a late April email to university faculty and staff.

Half of U.S. Starbucks stores had at least one employee enrolled in classes this spring, Crow wrote.

So far, more than 7,000 Starbucks employees have taken courses at the university, he wrote, and nearly 1,300 of them have earned degrees. Almost 500 will graduate this semester.

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A plain-clothed police officer, right, mans a position behind the counter at the Starbucks that has become the center of protests on April 16, 2018, in Philadelphia. The CEO of Starbucks arrived in Philadelphia hoping to meet with two black men who were arrested when the coffee chain's employees called 911 and said they were trespassing. Meanwhile, protesters took over the shop Monday. Jacqueline Larma, AP

Philadelphia City Councilman, Kenyatta Johnson, center, flanked by two fellow members, speaks at the podium during a press conference outside the Starbucks on 18th & Spruce Streets in Philadelphia on April 16, 2018. Two black men were arrested last week in a video incident that went viral over the weekend. Jose F. Moreno, The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

Local Black Lives Matter activist Asa Khalif, left, stands inside a Starbucks, April 15, 2018, demanding the firing of the manager who called police resulting in the arrest of two black men on Thursday. The arrests were captured on video that quickly gained traction on social media. MICHAEL BRYANT, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER VIA AP

Protesters gather outside of a Starbucks in Philadelphia,, April 15, 2018, where two black men were arrested Thursday after employees called police to say the men were trespassing. The arrest prompted accusations of racism on social media. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson posted a lengthy statement Saturday night, calling the situation "disheartening" and that it led to a "reprehensible" outcome. Michael Bryant, The Philadelphia Inquirer Via Ap

Camille Hymes, center, Regional V.P. of MidAtlanitc Operations at Starbucks Coffee Company, speaks with Asa Khalif, of Black Lives Matter, right, after protestors entered the coffee shop, April 15, 2018, demanding the firing of the manager who called police resulting the arrest of two black men on Thursday. MICHAEL BRYANT, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER VIA AP

A Philadelphia plain clothes police officer, left, pushes back on a counter protester, center, who tried to disrupt a local Black Lives Matter demonstration at the Starbucks in Philadelphia on April 15, 2018. MICHAEL BRYANT, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER VIA AP